Machine-Driven Enzymatic Oligosaccharide Synthesis by Using a Peptide Synthesizer

Abstract

For decades, researchers have endeavored to develop a general automated system to synthesize oligosaccharides that is comparable to the preparation of oligonucleotides and oligopeptides by commercially available machines. Inspired by the success of automated oligosaccharide synthesis through chemical glycosylation, a fully automated system is reported for oligosaccharides synthesis through enzymatic glycosylation in aqueous solution. The designed system is based on the use of a thermosensitive polymer and a commercially available peptide synthesizer. This study represents a proof-of-concept demonstration that the enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides can be achieved in an automated manner using a commercially available peptide synthesizer.

Keywords: automation; enzymatic synthesis; oligosaccharides; peptide synthesizers; thermosensitive polymers.